Following on the heels of our recently concluded series Ain’t But a Few, conversations with African American jazz and music writers, we begin a series of conversations with African American and other black folks who have presented jazz music on their stages. Historically, as my current research project on jazz venues in Brooklyn courtesy of [...]
Gene Seymour Our series of conversations with black music writers discussing their craft, including obstacles and pecularities which may or may not be related to issues of ethnic identity, continues with veteran scribe Gene Seymour. My first opportunities to read the witty Seymour’s prose came during his lengthy tenure as jazz contributor to New York Newsday. He [...]
JJA Prez Howard Mandel In light of recent postings in our ongoing series Ain’t But a Few of Us: Black music writers telling their stories, friend and colleague Howard Mandel, President of the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA www.jazzhouse.org) wrote the following open letter to stress the organization’s diversity mandate. Dear Willard, Thanks for your column "Ain’t But a Few of Us", highlighting [...]
Our series Ain’t But a Few of Us, black music writers telling their story continues with a voice from the San Francisco Bay Area. I first met Eric Arnold in 2003 on a magical journalist junket to Morocco to cover the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, then down to the coast for the Gnaoua & World [...]
Our contributor to this latest installment of the series Ain’t But a Few of Us — black music writers telling their story — is Twin Cities-based writer Robin James. I first met Robin at an IAJE conference and later worked with her as part of the short-lived Jazz Journalists Association mentoring program for young African-American writers [...]
This latest installement in our ongoing series of black music writers telling their story comes from Bill Francis. Brooklyn-based Bill Francis is a music and jazz journalist whose byline has appeared on countless stories and profiles ranging from bebop to hip hop, in the pages of Billboard, Spin, Essence, The Source, among many other publications. [...]
In her second contribution to The Independent Ear, the uncompromising saxophonist-composer and budding music/socio- cultural commentator Matana Roberts details her personal grounding and addresses the issue of the black audience for jazz, music education, coping with judgmental educators and assorted other related matters on her fertile mind. Matana Roberts Black folks and Jazz Music? Why [...]
Fiercely independent aptly describes MATANA ROBERTS One of the more compelling young artists to have arrived on the scene the last few years is saxophonist-composer and AACM member Matana Roberts. She wrote recently to express her appreciation for the Ain’t But a Few of Us Independent Ear series conversations with journalist-author-educator Robin D.G. Kelly, he of [...]
RAHSAAN CLARK MORRIS RAHSAAN CLARK MORRIS (center) with Amiri Baraka and William Parker I first encountered Chicago-based writer Rahsaan Clark Morris a few years back when working with the Jazz Journalists Association to establish fellowships to a journalist conference in California in the name of my late friend and colleague, the Harlemite jazz writer Clarence [...]
Like most of the participants in our ongoing dialogue with African American music writers, Gregory Thomas, has both feet and hands in several camps. Greg’s byline has been featured in numerous publications, including Salon.com., Guardian Observer (London), American Legacy, Africana.com, BlackAmericaWeb.com, Daily News (NY, NY), TBWT.com, Callaloo and others. He was the founding editor-in-chief of [...]